Friday, April 3, 2009

Talking With the Media

Their are many different approaches coaches can take to communicate with the media but to get the optimal results you must follow a series of steps. These steps are very simple and may come natural to many coaches when talking to the press.

1) Be Courteous and Respectful
Many coaches forget to keep their cool while on the stand from the press which in the end hurts their careers and images. So the best way to behave is in a respectful manner saying "Thank you" and being very courteous to the representatives (they are, after all, just trying to do their jobs). Never sware because that creates a bad atmosphere with the press and you should always keep a positive image with the press. It will get you exposure to the nation which could ultimately boost your career goals.

2) Take Responsibility For Your Actions
If your team has just lost a big game, do not go out and start pointing fingers at others. At the end of the line, you are the one who should take responsibility for how your team played. Blaming a player would disrupt your locker room that could possibly lead to a mutiny from your players. This is one of the main reasons that you should take the blame.

3) Be  Cautious of Your Responses
Often times coaches leak locker room information or say damaging responses about their players which the media will blow into a very large ordeal. These responses damage not only your image, but those of your team as well. Thus, always think before you respond to questions and be wary of what you say. Also as a side note, be humorous with the media because that will improve your standing with them and lead to a positive outlook with all of your responses.

In summation, by following these three simple steps when conducting communication with the media will drastically improve your image and standing with other coaches, sportscasters, etc. After all, what coach wouldn't like having the approval of all of his peers in the workplace.

1 comment:

  1. My blog post on Handling the Media was much like yours. I couldn't agree with you more about being cautious with your responces as well as being courtious. These are very important characteristics to carry out with the media. Good post, I enjoyed reading it.

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